System For Customizing Lighting and Sound Effects in a Vehicle

• US 20090024276A1
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Thomas, Michael H., Matthews, Peter G., Lee, In Woong, Mercurio, Joseph F., Macura, Marko
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling

Abstract

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment, a touch-screen for receiving an input signal from an occupant when the occupant touches the touch-screen, an output device, and a controller. The controller changes a characteristic of an electromagnetic wave in the form of visible light and/or an audible sound, which is transmitted into the passenger compartment via the output device in response to the input signal. The output device includes light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LED) or electro-luminescent (EL) ribbon and a speaker. The controller presents a predetermined set of lighting and/or sound options on the touch-screen which the occupant can touch to generate the input signal, thus selectively illuminating the light sources or playing a particular sound file. The controller can also play a digital sound file whenever a corresponding vehicle condition is detected.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a body defining a passenger compartment;

a display having a touch-screen portion, the display being configured for generating an input signal when an occupant of the passenger compartment touches the touch-screen portion;

at least one output device operable for transmitting an electromagnetic (EM) wave into the passenger compartment in response to the input signal; and

a controller operable for selectively changing a characteristic of the EM wave in response to changes in the input signal.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one output device includes a first plurality of light sources positioned within the passenger compartment;

and

wherein the controller presents a predetermined set of lighting options via the touch-screen portion which the occupant can touch to thereby cause the display to generate the input signal.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of light sources includes at least one of a light-emitting diode (LED) device and an electro-luminescent (EL) light ribbon.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a center console mounted within the passenger compartment, wherein the first plurality of light sources is mounted to opposite sides of the center console.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one output device includes an audio speaker positioned within the passenger compartment and configured for transmitting the EM wave by playing a predetermined sound file in response to the input signal.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the controller presents a set of icons on the touch-screen portion which the occupant can touch to generate the input signal;

and

wherein each icon of the set of icons represents a different association of one of the predetermined sound files with a corresponding vehicle condition.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the corresponding vehicle condition is selected from the group consisting of:

an ajar door condition, an obstacle detection condition, a seat adjustment condition, and a turn signal condition.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a body defining a passenger compartment;

a controller;

at least one output device; and

an input device through which an occupant of the vehicle can select a customized electromagnetic (EM) wave which can be transmitted into the passenger compartment by the at least one output device;

wherein the controller is configured to cause the at least one output device to transmit the customized EM wave into the passenger compartment in response to a signal generated by the input device when the occupant selects the customized EM wave.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the at least one output device includes audio speaker, the vehicle further comprising:

a data storage medium having a plurality of digital audio files and a sensor configured to detect at least one vehicle condition, and to transmit signals indicative of the vehicle condition to the controller;

wherein the controller is operable for transmitting the customized EM wave into the passenger compartment through the speaker by playing one of the digital audio files when the sensor indicates that the vehicle condition is present.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the at least one vehicle condition is selected from the group consisting of:

an ajar door condition, an obstacle detection condition, a seat adjustment condition, and a turn signal condition.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the at least one input device includes a touch-screen and the at least one output device includes a light source;

and

wherein the controller causes the customized EM wave to be transmitted into the passenger compartment in the form of a visible light wave when the occupant touches the touch-screen in a predetermined manner.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the light source is at least one of an LED device and an EL ribbon.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller causes the input device to display a set of icons on the touch-screen portion, each icon of the set of icons representing a different predetermined lighting theme;

and

wherein each icon can be touched by the occupant to thereby signal the controller to transmit a corresponding one of the visible light waves via the light source.

14. The vehicle of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of indicators which are mounted adjacent to the input device;

wherein each one of the plurality of indicators is configured to display information regarding the status of a different vehicle system.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein a first one of the plurality of indicators indicates a speed of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) fan, a second one of the plurality of LED indicators indicates a temperature on a passenger side of the vehicle 10, and a third one of the plurality of LED indicators indicates a temperature on a driver side of the vehicle 10.

16. A system for customizing an electromagnetic (EM) wave which is transmitted by at least one output device within a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a display positioned within the passenger compartment and operable for presenting a set of options for changing a characteristic of the EM wave, and for generating signals commanding an activation of the at least one output device when an occupant of the passenger compartment selects an option from the set of options; and

a controller adapted for processing the signals to thereby change the characteristic of the EM wave;

wherein the EM wave includes at least one of a visible light wave and an audible sound wave.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one output device includes a plurality of light-emitting diode (LED) devices operable for transmitting the visible light wave, and wherein the set of options includes a plurality of different colors in which the plurality of LED devices are illuminated.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of LED devices includes an acrylic light pipe.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of LED devices are mounted adjacent to the display and are configured to display information regarding the status of a corresponding vehicle system.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a data storage module containing a plurality of digital sound files and a sensor for detecting a predetermined vehicle condition;

wherein the at least one output device includes an audio speaker operable for transmitting the audible sound wave using one of the plurality of digital sound files; and

wherein the set of options includes an association of a different one of the digital sound files with a corresponding one of the predetermined vehicle conditions.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one output device further includes a light source operable for transmitting the visible light wave;

and

wherein the set of options includes a plurality of different colors in which the at least one light source is illuminated when the predetermined vehicle condition is detected by the sensor.